County Adds 2 Lanes To New Road Project

SANFORD — Plans for a new road that will run parallel to Interstate 4 in north Seminole have been expanded to spur development in the area.

On Tuesday, the County Commission decided to make Grantline Road four lanes instead of two. The road, to be built later this year, will connect State Road 46 and County Road 46A west of I-4.

County planners recommended $400,000 be spent this fiscal year to redesign the roadway to four lanes. Another $2.6 million will be spent next fiscal year to build it.

The project is part of the county's master plan for northern I-4.

Grantline Road was picked as the top priority to help bring development to the area, said Francis Chandler, the county's comprehensive planning manager.

''We looked for areas with the greatest potential for development,'' he said. ''Then we looked at where the county could best use its resources to induce development.''

The area between Grantline Road and the interstate has more than 400 acres of prime real estate. County planners want to make sure that roads, water and sewer service and stormwater controls needed for development are in place.

Grantline Road will be built with money from the county's $450 million road-widening program. The 10-year program, in its fifth year, uses money from an additional penny in sales tax plus other income to improve the county's road network.

Because Grantline Road was not part of the original project list, another project will have to be changed. County Engineer Jerry McCollum recommended that land purchases for the Wymore Road expansion be spread out over two years, and the money saved can be used to pay for Grantline.

The change will not affect the actual start of the Wymore project, McCollum said.